Osborne - Osborne One Portable
Photo 1: Bilby, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Osborne 1 open.jpg) Photo 2: Photographer: Tomislav Medak from Flickr / Editing: Bill Bertram (Pixel8), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Osborne01.jpg)
Portable computer, 1981, Osborne Computer Corporation. The Osborne 1 was the first commercially successful portable computer: a 11 kg case that closes like a suitcase, with a tiny 5" screen, two floppy drives and a keyboard in the lid. Adam Osborne's idea was to sell a complete system at a fixed price including the software, and the bundle of CP/M, WordStar, SuperCalc, dBase II and two BASICs was worth more than the machine. It sold tens of thousands of units before the company collapsed in 1983.
| Years | 1981 to 1983 |
|---|---|
| Processor | Zilog Z80 at 4 MHz |
| RAM | 64 KB |
| Display | built-in 5" monochrome CRT, 52 x 24 characters with horizontal scrolling of 128-column lines |
| Storage | 2 x 5.25" floppy drives of 90 KB (later 180 KB double density) |
| Operating system | CP/M 2.2 with WordStar, SuperCalc, dBase II, MBASIC and CBASIC |
| Ports | RS-232, IEEE-488, modem, external monitor |
| Weight | 11 kg |
| Price (1981) | US$1,795 |
